Two men arrested on suspicion of armed robbery of two Chico taxicabs

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Two suspects in two taxi cab armed robberies Sunday sit handcuffed on the side of Parmac Road while Chico police interview them. Justin Erness of Paradise (seated left) and Timothy Adkins of Durham (seated right) were later arrested on suspicion of both armed robberies.(Ty Barbour/Staff Photo)<p class=’dotPhoto’>All Chico E-R photos are available <a href=’http://chicoer.mycapture.com/’>here</a>.</p>

CHICO — Chico police arrested two suspects Sunday evening following an investigation of two taxicab robberies at knifepoint and gunpoint reported earlier in the day.

Justin Timothy Erness, of Paradise, and Timothy Lee Adkins, of Durham, were arrested on Parmac Road around 6:15 p.m. after a handgun, knife and roll of duct tape were found in their vehicle. Chico Police Sgt. Dave Britt said they are being held in custody and will likely be charged with two counts of armed robbery each, and possible additional counts of kidnapping.

The first incident occurred at 8 a.m. when a Liberty Cab driver received a call for a fare at the Veterans Memorial Hall on The Esplanade, Britt said. Upon arrival, the driver picked up two males who requested he drive to a location on Parmac Road off The Esplanade. When the taxi reached the location, the suspects produced a knife and a handgun, and told the driver to continue driving. While driving, the driver’s wallet, cell phone and radio system were taken. The suspects also threatened the driver with his life, and told them that his family would be killed if he reported the crime to police, Britt said.

The suspects then directed the driver to the area near Chico Sports Club, where they gave him duct tape and instructed him to put it over his eyes, Britt said. The two fled the cab and evidence led police to believe they traveled northbound on Parmac Road and toward West Lindo Avenue.

The driver went inside the sports club and called Chico police around 8:05 a.m.

After getting a description of the suspects from the driver, Chico police followed leads throughout the day, and received a call just before 5 p.m. that a Yellow Cab driver had also been robbed at knife and gunpoint near the Motel 6 parking lot off Cohasset and Manzanita roads, said Chico police Sgt. Mike Madden.

The driver reportedly received a call for a fare at the Motel 6 location, where he was instructed to drive around and was reportedly robbed at knife and gunpoint. He was also told his family would be killed if he reported the crime to police, and was instructed to put duct tape over his eyes while the suspects fled.

Police received additional information describing the suspects from witnesses at Motel 6, and were told they may have fled in a white four-door sedan. Officers patrolled the area, searching for a vehicle and suspects that matched the description.

Within an hour of the second robbery, officer Omar Pena, a lateral officer from Salinas who has been training with Chico police for almost three months, pulled over without incident a white 1990s-era Honda Accord on Parmac Road that matched the description. The vehicle was then searched.

The suspects sat handcuffed on the side of Parmac Road while additional officers arrived at the scene. Several patrol cars lined the street while the vehicle was searched. Officers located a handgun, silver knife and roll of duct tape inside the vehicle.

Both cab drivers and at least two other witnesses were driven past the scene in patrol cars in an attempt to identify the suspects and weapons.

Less than 45 minutes later, Chico police arrested Erness and Adkins at scene and loaded them into separate patrol cars. Their vehicle was taken to the police station for further investigation.

Officers had enough evidence and probable cause to arrest the suspects, Britt and Madden confirmed. Money appeared to be the motive of both robberies, they said.

The incidents are not the first time violence have been directed toward cab drivers in Chico. In April, another Liberty Cab driver was robbed at knifepoint by three male passengers on Eastwood Avenue south of East Ninth Street, and was cut and punched in the head and upper body. In April 2008, a driver was choked to unconsciousness and robbed by a couple in the early morning near East 20th and Hutchinson streets.

Staff writer Stacey Kennelly can be reached at 896-7754 or skennelly@chicoer.com.